Enrollment
45
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Kansas City, MO
Early Child. Education Ctr.
Federal NCES profile for Early Child. Education Ctr., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 291854002615
👥 S:T ratio 93
🌟 Gifted program 30
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Early Child. Education Ctr. earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Missouri schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #3 of 55
- schools in Kansas City · Resource Index
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 1.8:1
- small classes for Missouri
- 73.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Early Child. Education Ctr. has class sizes smaller than 99% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Early Child. Education Ctr. ranks #3 of 55 schools in Kansas City, MO.
School address
District: Liberty 53 · Missouri
NCES ID 291854002615 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
1.8:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
-86% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.3%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
+59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Early Child. Education Ctr. compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Early Child. Education Ctr.
Early Child. Education Ctr. is a higher-need, small combined-grade school in Kansas City, Missouri, enrolling 45 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 1.8:1, Early Child. Education Ctr. is leaner than roughly 99% of Missouri schools and 86% under the state's 12.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 73.3% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of Missouri schools, with 45 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 91% of the 2,313 Missouri schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and African American (18%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).
Among Kansas City's public schools, it stands alongside Frontier School of Innovation (645 students): Early Child. Education Ctr. is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (1.8:1 vs 11.1:1).
Liberty 53 also operates Liberty North High School (2,262 students) and Liberty High (1,842 students) alongside Early Child. Education Ctr..
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Early Child. Education Ctr. compares
Early Child. Education Ctr. on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 1.8:1 | ▼ 86% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.3% | ▲ 59% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 45 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
1.8:1
Leaner classes than 100% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
45
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
73.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 59% above the Missouri average of 46.1%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
1.8:1
students per teacher
- 86% below state mean
Top 1% in Missouri - lower ratio than 100% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Funding equity
$12,222
per pupil, district-wide
- below Missouri avg of $12,931
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 44.4%
African American 17.8%
Hispanic or Latino 17.8%
Two or More 17.8%
Asian 2.2%
Largest group: White at 44.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 70.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 70.7, Early Child. Education Ctr. is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Liberty 53, which includes Early Child. Education Ctr..
$12,222
Per student
-5%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 57.5%
State 35.4%
Federal 7.2%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Early Child. Education Ctr. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberty North High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Liberty High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| South Valley Middle | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Shoal Creek Elem. | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heritage Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Early Child. Education Ctr.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,262
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 1,842
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 809
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 795
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 757
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
Similar other schools in Kansas City
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Missouri, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~45 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~1.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Early Child. Education Ctr.'s federal record.
- Compare Early Child. Education Ctr. against another school. Compare schools
- Liberty 53's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Early Child. Education Ctr.
How many students attend Early Child. Education Ctr.?
Early Child. Education Ctr. has 45 students enrolled. It is a public school in Kansas City, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Early Child. Education Ctr.?
The student-teacher ratio at Early Child. Education Ctr. is 1.8:1, which is 86% lower than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 89% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Early Child. Education Ctr.?
73.3% of students at Early Child. Education Ctr. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Early Child. Education Ctr.?
The largest demographic group at Early Child. Education Ctr. is White at 44.4% of enrollment, in Kansas City, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 70.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Early Child. Education Ctr.?
Early Child. Education Ctr. has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 2 factors: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Early Child. Education Ctr. rank among schools in Kansas City?
By Resource Investment Index, Early Child. Education Ctr. ranks #3 of 55 schools in Kansas City, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Kansas City on the city page.
Is Early Child. Education Ctr. a good school?
Early Child. Education Ctr. earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Missouri schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Liberty 53?
Besides Early Child. Education Ctr., Liberty 53 also operates Liberty North High School (2,262 students), Liberty High (1,842 students), and South Valley Middle (809 students). See the Liberty 53 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.